1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to merchandise display apparatus, and more particularly, to the display of tubular products.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A prerequisite for successfully marketing a retail product is to make the consumer away of the product. To effectuate such an awareness, merchants make attempts to prominently display products. Frequently, the products are of small sizes and a large number of the products are required to be stacked upon one another and displayed theretogether whereby the combined array of products creates a visual effect suitable to make the consumer visually aware of the product.
Oftentimes, products are not of shapes suitable to allow stacking thereof whereby a combined array of the products may be displayed theretogether. In such instances, the products may be placed in containers, such as rectangular boxes, to allow stacking of the products. Usually, the containers serve no other useful purpose, are disposed of by the consumer once the product is purchased, and constitute an additional expense to the manufacturer of the product.
Disclosed in the prior art are various article display stands which function to display articles of merchandise utilizing a lazy susan principle. A lazy susan is a revolving trayy allowing positioning thereupon of articles. Lazy susans are especially useful for supporting articles which cannot be stacked one upon another, as the lazy susan provides the support means for supporting the articles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,782,257 discloses a revolving display stand equipped with a plurality of graduated shelves allowing articles to be positioned on the shelves. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,634 discloses a rotary display stand having a plurality of shelves, and further includes on each shelf a large number of receptacles to receive a large number of small articles such as knobs, hinges, or etc. U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,529 discloses a lazy susan which is rotated by the use of a ball bearing assembly. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,608 discloses an article display stand having a number of vertically arranged shelves wherein each shelf has separate article display pockets. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,124 discloses a merchandise display rack containing a large number of shelves supported from an elongated, vertically disclosed column. The trays are flat surfaces particularly suited for displaying shoes thereupon.
No display rack disclosed in the prior art, however, provides a means for supporting articles of merchandise in a precise orientation in order to create an enhanced visual effect of those products. In some instances, merely placing articles of merchandise on the shelves of the prior art display racks does not create a visual effect suitable to generate a consumer awareness of the merchandise.
One such example of merchandise which must be supported in a particular manner is merchandise which is packaged in turuble containers. Merchandise packaged in tubular containers suffer from an inherent structural disadvantage in that the tubes cannot be stacked upon one another to allow a combined array of tubes to be displayed. Even when displayed upon the rotating display stands of the prior art, tubular containers by their very construction do not create a visual effect suitable to generate a consumer awareness of the merchandise.
Haircoloring products are frequently packaged in tubular containers and are available in a large number of shades. Because a limited amount of space is available for display of merchandise, display of haircolor on rotating display stand is quite advantageous. However, because haircoloring products frequently are contained in tubular containers, positioning of such tubes on the displays stand does not create a visual awareness in a consumer adequate to market the product.
What is needed, therefore, is a means by which rotating display stands may be adapted to prominently display merchandise, such as haircoloring products, which is packaged in tubular containers.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a rotating display stand suitable for displaying thereupon merchandise contained in tubular containers.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a rotating display stand which displays merchandise contained in tubular containers in an upstanding position.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a rotating display stand which supports tubes of haircolor in an upstanding position to provide a consumer with a visual awareness thereof.